DECEMBER

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RESEARCH
for
BUREAU!
MODERN THEATRE PLANNERS!
ENROLLMENT FORM FOR FREE INFORMATION j
The MODERN THEATRE
PLANNING mSTITUTE
825 Van Brunt Blvd.
Kansas City 24, Mo.
n Other Subjects
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Address
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12-6-52 :
Gentlemen: ;
Please enroll us in your RESEARCH BUREAU j
to receive information regularly, as released, on ;
the following subjects for Theatre Planning: ;
n Acoustics D Lighting Fixtures j
D Air Conditioning
Q Plumbing Fixtures
Architectural Service Projectors S
n "Black" Lighting q Projection Lamps ;
n Building Material
g Seating •
n Carpels
j-| gj^^^ ^^ Marquees j
*
n Coin Machines
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Sound Equipment ;
n Complete Remodeling
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„ TN . Television ;
n Decoratmg
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D Drink Dispensers Theatre Fronts
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n Drive-In Equipment Q Vending Equipment :
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Big Palmer Park to Try
Special Art Film Policy
DETROIT—Opening of the largest house
ever to run regularly on an art policy is
planned within a few weeks by Irving Teicher
for the Palmer Park. The latter is a 1,202
seat theatre on Hamilton avenue in the north
end suburb of Highland Park, which was
closed a month ago by Raymond Schreiber,
head of Midwest Theatres, who has operated
it on a subsequent run policy since the house
was opened in the thirties.
Two other theatres are currently on an art
film policy—the Studio, located about two
miles from the Palmer Park, and the Coronet
on the far east side. Both are much smaller
houses, having 396 and 595 seats, respectively.
Teicher has been in the special films and
concert promotion business for a number of
years, and at one time was a partner in
the Studio.
General renovation is being planned for
Palmer Park. The policy will include weekly
art exhibitions, lectures and chamber music
programs.
Detroit Telenews Not
Shifting to Art Films
DETROIT—The experimental booking of
a full-length feature for the first time in its
15 years of operation does not mark a change
of policy for the Telenews Theatre, according
to Norman F. Wheaton, managing director.
The house has generally played newsreels
and shorts subjects in a carefully
tailored program designed to meet the tastes
of the special audience built up for this house.
The current booking is "Jungle Headhunters,"
being shown in its entirety. In the
past, some full-length films have been booked,
but have usually been shown in edited form,
selecting the portions which fitted into a general
news type program.
A report that the Telenews would switch
to an art film policy was vigorously denied by
Wheaton. Downtown Detroit has been without
an art house since the Cinema closed last
winter, and the field appears invitingly open.
Among suburban theatres, the Coronet and
Studio, and occasionally the Ki-im in Highland
Park, play art films.
'Vadis' Multiple Booking
Is Success in Detroit
DETROIT—A composite gross of $50,000
was turned in for the week ending last Saturday
(22) by five subsequent run suburban
houses playing "Quo Vadis" on an exclusive
area basis, according to Frank J. Downey,
manager for MGM. The returns proved so
^
.'atisfactory that four of the houses—the Mel, '
Fisher, Woods and Norwest, operated by
United Detroit Theatres—decided to hold the
picture for a full second week, including the
big Thanksgiving holiday.
Opening of the second week at the four
houses was 73 per cent of the figure rolled up
on the preceding opening Sunday, indicating
unusual staying power in this booking.
The film was awarded to the five houses on
a bidding basis.
Only one theatre, the RKO Uptown, of the
quintet, failed to hold the film, making room
for other attractions booked.
Cleveland Holiday
Business on Upgrade
Cleveland—The Thanksgiving holiday
business was very good in the downtown
Cleveland area, circuit heads report.
They also report attendance in their outlying
suburban theatres and in those in
neighboring areas was away above that
of the last two years. Good weather was
one reason for this condition. For the
past two years Thanksgi\'ing day was
marked by heavy snowstorms.
Ballroom Fight With TV
Deserves Theatre Help
DETROIT—Exhibitors may be able soon
to join forces with the ballroom operators
in a mutual battle for a fair share of con-
•
tinued public interest against the new enemy,
television. A proposal for a national institutional
campaign aimed to build back ballroom
business by a frank attack on television
•
is being made by Don Pablo, well-known recording
orchestra leader now at the Graystone
ballroom here. While Pablo's idea is
strictly to revive the interest in dancing, he ,
believes in hitting at the weaknesses of television,
and on that front motion exhibitors
join forces and
may have an opportunity to
establish common ground and a stronger com-
petitive attack. i
Pablo's proposal, being presented to the
National Ass'n of Ballroom Operators, is toj
adopt a slogan, "You Can't Dance to Tele-'
vision" and plug it repeatedly.
How
Christmas
Seals help
save lives
Successful methods of treatment
make it more important than ever
to find the 150,000 "unknown"
cases of tuberculosis-and to find
them early.
Mass X-ray campaigns to findXB
in time are part of the work your
Christmas Seal dollars help support.
Remember, no one can be "cured"
until treated . . . and no one can
be treated until the disease is
discovered.
Send in your contribution today.
Buy Christmas Seals
1
Poslagc-paid reply cards for your further convenience
in obtaining information are provided in The MODERN
THEATRE Section, published with the first issue of
'och month.
"The Plains of Abraham," a historical novel
by James Oliver Curwood, has been purchased
for U-I release.
Because of the importance
of this
space
BOXOFFICE
messase,
contributed by
90
BOXOFFICE
:: December 6, 195;M[3s,,